


Cheap Thrills

by Callmeclara



Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Iron Man 3, F/M, OFC is Latina, Parent Tony Stark, Some of the avengers are cameos, Tony Stark Has A Heart, also scientist main characters, eventual journalist character because I am shameless in my self-inserts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 14:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18802513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callmeclara/pseuds/Callmeclara
Summary: Peter Parker stresses the Starks out, and neither of them knows how to deal with him. The only solution seems to be high-school.





	Cheap Thrills

Earth-616

Bronx, New York 

Earth

December 27, 2013

 

New York was cheerful and bright. It snowed for Christmas; truly a winter wonderland for it’s inhabitants. Festive and joyful for most. Most.

 

Some weren’t as fortunate to spend a white Christmas under the skyline. Celeste Huerta-Peralez wasn’t lucky. Decades of scientific achievements and accolades vanished within a second. A tragedy of life. The cruelty of fate shined in a moment. One moment; the 36 year-old scientist, vibrant & prominent, laughing all her worries away. Within the next, her life dimmed. At 7:30 p.m on Christmas Eve, at the corner of 36th and 9th, her flame was snuffed out. 

 

Medics reported that she died on impact. Her daughter, however, suffered from a slight concussion and the impact had left her unconscious for a few minutes. They say that the backseat had saved her life, her mother refused to let her sit in the front she wasn’t quite a big girl yet, barely eleven years-old.

 

She spent her Christmas in a lonely hospital room, drowned in fluorescentlight and the acrid smell of disinfectant. There wasn’t an adult to sign her out. The nurses gave her pitying smiles. She despised them.

On December 26, she’s given temporary custody to Jeri Hogarth, an acquaintance of her mother’s. The tall, disconnected woman waited for her in a mammoth black sedan outside of the Bronx apartment, busily typing away on a laptop. 

Alone, she trekked though the vast and abandoned home. They’d left the Christmas tree on. Her mother’s laptop was still on, papers and notes strewn about. The small girl shut the laptop gently, not bothering to wipe away the tears that stained the mahogany table. 

Alone, she walked up the stairs. 

Alone, she gathered the things she thought she’d need. 

Alone, she found the cross necklace, a gift from her grandmother on her first communion. 

Alone, she gathered clothes and a fresh school uniform.

Alone, she packed her suitcase.

Alone, she gathered her mother’s favorite medal. 

Alone, she gathered the pictures of her grandparents for Dia de muertos. An vile thought crossed her mind. She’d have to make an ofrenda for her mother next year. 

Alone, she went around the empty apartment shutting off every lamp and appliance they’d leave on. 

She’d never hear her mother read her a story. She’d never make chocolate chip cookies with her mother again. Her reading would never be interrupted by the blaring voice of Stevie Nicks, a telltale sign that her mother was stuck in her journey to scientific discovery and brainstorming. She’d never be able to sit on her mothers lap, peering through reading glasses that slid of her nose and made everything blurry, listening to her recent study, pretending for a shining moment that she could be as clever as the smartest woman on earth. 

Alone, she walked out of the apartment for the last time in her life. 

 

And didn’t bother asking where she was going. It didn’t matter. The shining beacon in her life ceased guiding her. Jeri did her best to explain to the child what would happen next. The next of kin had been located; someone written in Celeste’s will. Most likely a distant relative, someone whose name Andie heard in passing.

The briefing was a general procedure. Deep down, Andie knew she was just a client. Just a case. Just a favor to someone she once knew.Jeri didn’t actually care what would happen to her. 

The car stopped in front of a skyscraper. They were downtown. They were at Stark Tower. Jeri ceased texting on her blueberry, tucking it away neatly in a coat pocket.

“Come on,” she said quickly exiting the car not waiting for Andie to follow.

The girl exited the car and followed the lawyer through the gleaming glass doors. Inside, people in lab coats chattered about. A wave of pain struck her heart. 

“I’m here for a meeting with Stark.” The meek receptionist cowered in Jeri’s wake. “Hogarth and Huerta.” 

The young woman quickly handed Jeri two badges. “The elevators are to your left. You’ll need these for security and for elevator one. It’ll take you straight the the penthouse office.”

So the odd pair bustled on towards the rows of elevators all the way towards elevator one. Jeri didn’t speak to her in the elevator. Silently, they rode all the way to the penthouse. The metal doors unlatched and Jeri stepped out first. There was another receptionist waiting for them.

“We’re here for Mr.Stark,” spoke Jeri. The receptionist gave Andie a query look and turned to Jeri with a blank stare.

“First door to your right.”

Jeri turned to Andie and looked at her for the first time in hours. 

“Wait for me here.” Jeri turned and walked into giant metal doors, gleaming briefcase in hand.

Andie turned, finding herself alone once more, and sat in a sleek metal chair. She waited for what felt like hours and hours; the only forms of entertainment were pigeons flying past windows, the receptionist’s cold states, and the dealing sounds of New York traffic stories bellow. The most interring thing to happen those torturous hours was when another girl had dropped files of to Judy Mood, the name Andie had dubbed to the receptionist. It wound be extraordinarily mundane, save for the fact that the whispered and stared at Andie. 

Andie was nearly asleep when the door finally opened.A tall, giant man stood holding the door open. 

“Miss Huerta, please come in.” Andie slumped towards the door. Inside sat Cold and distant Jeri. Across to her was a boisterous man in a band shirt her mom listen s (ed) to and bile-colored blazer. In the corner stood a pristine, strawberry-blonde, arms crossed and head poised.

“So this is the kid, huh. Well, doesn’t really look like Celeste for that fact.”

Both women simply rolled her eyes at the remark. 

“What, she doesn’t speak. You got her well-trained. Does she do tricks too?” he said defensively. 

“I roll over if you ask nicely.” Andie fired back.

“Miss Huerta.” blurted Jeri. “Please mind your manners.”

“So she does bite.”

“Tony, calm down.” scolded the woman.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on.”

All the adults looked towards one another, guilt laced in their eyes. 

“Mr. Stark was listed as Guardian in your mother’s will,” answered Jeri.

“Supposed Guardian, there’s nothing contactually obliging me to do so.”

“You’re listed as next-of-kin.”

“There’s no evidence of that.”

“So let’s do the test.” added the Blonde.

“Wait, what! We’re not related!” blurted Andie.

“See, the kid agrees. Wow, she’s really good at this whole acting business.”

“Tony!”

“What’s going on?” shouted Andie, stray tears rolling down her little cheeks. The stress finally arriving at a breaking point. “Can someone tell me what’s going on so I can just go home?” she said, bundling her sleeves up and wiping at her chin. The blonde walked around the table and knelt in front on Andie. She soothingly rubbed her back as Andie silently cried. This was the first proper kindness Andie had received since Christmas Eve. 

“Adelina, in your mother’s will, she stated that if she and her parent’s had passed and you were in need of a guardian, that custody should be granted to Mr. Stark.”

“But why?” was all Andie could muster.She looked at Stark who stared back, apprehension in his eyes. “You’re not a family friend. You didn’t work with my mom and she never mentioned you.” 

“She said I’m your father, kid” he hesitated to call her anything. Too scared for anything to stick. 

“No, my dad died. That’s what my grandpa said. He died in the towers.”

“See, maybe he did” defended Stark, gestured towards Andie, motioning her to continue.

“Tony,” started the Blonde. “She listed you on the birth certificate.”

“But I didn’t sign. That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Just to the test, Stark,” said Jeri.

“Why would Celeste, the most-logical person on earth, do something just because she felt like it?” chided the Blonde. 

Stark sighed and put his head in his hands. He looked at Andie for a moment, analyzing all her features. “All right, bring in the test.” Quickly, the tall man Andie had forgotten about left the room.

“You afraid of needles, Adelina?” asked Stark.

“I’m just glad you're being reasonable,” said Jeri.

“You know what Hogarth-“

“Tony, for god sake.”

The door flew open. In entered the same man followed by scrawnier company both pushing in a cart that seemed to have DNA test kit. The pushed the cart all the way toward the desk as Andie began to roll up her sleeve. The man in a lab coat stood in front of Andie and eyed her up. 

“I’m not Rosemary’s baby, y’know.” snapped Andie. Shocked by her comment, the man began to wipe her arm with an anti-bacterial wipe.

“Celeste let you watch Rosemary’s baby?” asked Tony. The girls cheeks and ears tinted pink; a hand caught midway in the cookie jar. 

“My grandpa fell asleep in front of the T.V. When mom came back, Mia Farrow was already cradling her baby.”

“I gotta hand it to you” he paused at her wince. The blood poured into the vial. “You’re full of surprises.” The assistant took the vial and placed it into a device on the wall. Instantly, a hologram appeared on the desk; numbers and graphs shimmed and flickered. 

“JARVIS, match up the DNA.” Commanded Stark. The computer took seconds to analyze the data.

“It appears to be a match, sir.”

The room silenced for what felt like an eternity. Jeri was the first to break it.

“Well, my job is don here. Funeral’s in two days. Call my office for any questions.” Within seconds, she was gone.

 

The guest room was nice. It was bigger than her kitchen and living room combined. It was too generic and colorless. Everything in this building seemed to be dipped in chrome, leather, or white. Everything screamed temporary. Nothing felt like a personal belonging. Her two suitcases and a backpack were her marks in the drab room. The backpack lay open on the bed. In her hands, she clutched a picture. She ran through the events in her mind.

Tony had burst out of the room. The lab assistant scampered off. Pepper, the kind blonde, gave Andie a kind smile and a shrug. She asked her to give Tony a moment. Andie was grateful that she didn’t ask about the tears rolling down her cheek. She asked if she was hungry, to which Andie replied no. She didn’t think she could stomach anything. Pepper asked for a grilled cheese and fries to be made anyway. The plate laid cold in her room now, untouched with the exception of a few fries. Pepper gave Andie a quick tour of the penthouse. It was giant and spacious. It made Andie nauseous. She could easily get lost. She’d never understand how someone could need so much space. They’d been lucky to avoid Tony and whatever he was up to. She showed Andie the guest room, as the room that was supposed to be hers was under construction. Andie thanked her and was left to her own devices. She lay on the plush bed, tears puddling into the pillow under her cheek. The funeral was in two days. She was really gone. She was never going to see her mother again. It felt like her heart was ripper from her chest; feeling the fading and dying beats. Today, it felt like her intestines followed; each tugged away from her stomach like a vicious game of tug o’war. 

She placed the picture on the bedside table and turned off the reading lap. She climbed under the sheets in near darkness. Moments later, light seeped through. Soft and careful footsteps followed as Andie feigned sleep. The bed shifted under foreign weight. 

 

“Hey, kid.” The voice waited for a response. A moment later, it continued. 

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry I ran out. I just, I’m not ready to be dad. I’ll be honest. I never expected it, especially from Celeste. I never could have expected you. I’m not a father. I’m not exactly baby proof. Hell, there’s thousands of safety hazards in my Lab. I’m just so scared. I’m scared of messing up and I know I’ll never compare to Celeste. God, your mother was something kid. Razor smart, so funny! God, you’d never expect a Nobel winning biologist to be _that_ funny! She’d have you snorting milk through your nose in seconds. She was beautiful. She was radiant, kid. And I ran. I knew. I knew I’d never be enough. Look, what I missed out on. I googled you up you know. You’re something else too. Adelina Teresa Hurate-Peralez. Honor role student. Scholarship winner. Science fair winner 6 years in a row. Wouldn’t expect anything less. That miniature working model of the Challenger was phenomenal. Maybe you’ve got a bit of your old man in ya after all.” He paused, wiping at his face. “I’ll stop the ramblings of an old man. Just came to say sorry and” He looked at the nightstand. A rectangular piece of paper laid there. He craned his neck to look at Adelina, still lying there.

Tony picked up the picture. There was a recent crease on the corner. It was taken not too long ago, a few years at most. A beautiful long-haired woman stood smiling into the camera, glasses perched on her nose and donned in a gleaming, white lab coat. 

On her shoulders sat a toothy little girl in pigtail braids. She was grinning as wide as she could, arms stretched to the sky and grasping test tubes. She was wearing a lab coat and googles; both too big for her, but her charisma filled them in nicely. A blaring reminder of something he may never be able to replicate, not fully anyway. But there she was; that that toothy little girl, so full of brass and intelligence.

Undeniably Celeste. Undeniably Tony. 

He owed it to an old friend. He owed it to the little girl spending the night in a foreign place; he knew what she was feeling, not entirely, but he knew that gut-wrenching feeling. With a sigh, he placed the picture down. He stood up and walked towards the door. 

 

“Goodnight, kid.” He said shutting the door.

“Goodnight, dad.” Echoed Andie.

 

December 29, 2013

 

The funeral went by quick. It all felt like a haze; words tumbling out, looks of pity, a constant hand of her shoulder, and a line of scientist telling Andie what a brilliant mind they’d lost. Of course, that’s all they cared about. Her mom was just a scientist to them; not a mother, not a friend, not a beam of light in their lives. Jeri wasn’t there; she had business to attend to. The priest was kind, he’d done service for her grandparent’s mass. Andie wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told her he had baptized her as well. It didn’t mean anything to Andie. Church was just a chore; a menial family task where she was rewarded whatever food she was craving that week. It never really meant anything to her; and she felt guilty that it didn’t. 

Her father was there. He sat and stood by her for all of service; well behaved and surprisingly quiet. Pepper and Happy tagged along as well. So did Bruce Banner, a colleague of her fathers and apparently her mother as well. Under different circumstances, Andie would have been enthralled to meet a hero of hers. Dr. Banner was kind and quiet. He spoke highly of her mother, of her brilliant work and kindness. He told her how she did her best to help with a funny little problem of his. He told her how grateful he was to have known her. She could tell that his sadness was genuine. For that, she was grateful. Someone else felt the loss of lovely soul. He left unaccompanied. Her father walked beside Andie, still eerily quiet. The past two days were filled of uncomfortable small talk and chatter. He asked her about school, friends, hobbies. He told her that everything in the apartment would be brought here; the exception of some of her mothers belongings. Apparently, they were turning the house into a museum. It was a feeble attempt for the lab to draw women into STEM. Andie thought it was funny, her mom being fossilized into history. He told her the plans they had for the funeral. She nodded along; too exhausted and too young to have any say. 

The Father and daughter rode in silence, only Pepper between them. She was sweet and offered Andie support; a shoulder to cry on, she’d say.A minute later, Tony spoke.

“I’m starving. Is anyone else hungry? I can’t be the only one.” Andie could hear Pepper roll her eyes. “You hungry, kid? Happy, stop somewhere. I need a shake or something to wash down the terrible stench of all those science goons.” Andie chuckled, not a fan of her mothers colleagues either.

“I could eat,” she spoke.

“You up for some cheeseburgers, kid?”

 

They were an odd pair; a girl, ripped away from the only life she’d known, sat in front of her new found-father, billionaire engineer Tony Stark, burger grease dribbling down their chins and jubilantly sipping on shakes in an empty Smashburger. They were both terrified, caught in the midst of an unexpected and odd relationship. But as they laughed together and shared stories, they felt that everything would be ok. 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this like two months before endgame, and then I was like why not? I need to take my feelings out somehow.


End file.
